BET’s Rap City could well be considered one of the quintessential shows for promoting Hip Hop on television. Along with an organic vibe, it gives in-depth interviews and freestyles from the artists we love. Sadly, all great things come to an end.
According to BET.com’s Sound Off blog, Rap City and its two decades of Hip Hop history will be hanging its close sign up. Serving as a platform for well-established rappers and newcomers alike, Rap City made its debut in 1989 with host Chris Thomas (known as “The Mayor”), quickly becoming a must-watch for Hip Hop heads. By 1999, the show changed its name to Rap City: Tha Basement, and with new host Big Tigger, further supplanted itself as a major music source that lasted well into the next decade, with various hosts latching on to bring it new flavor.
However, recent times haven’t looked so great for the BET mainstay. After losing financial sponsorship this year [click to read] and with ratings slowly decreasing, Rap City became a question mark that wasn’t leading to any significant answers. In turn, BET has decided to replace the show in an effort to bring ratings back to a comfortable position.
The show taking its place, The Deal, has been described as a multi-faceted hour-long segment. Hosted by DJ Diamond Kutz, The Deal will begin its tenure on November 10th, following the official finale of Rap City.
Along with artist drop-ins and Hip Hop commentary, one of the main proponents of The Deal will feature a similar scheme to Vh1’s Pop Up Video, which aired from 1996 to 2002. As BET puts it, The Deal will play “the latest and great videos that include pop-up information, facts and quirky tidbits on the artist and/or the song itself,” a description closely resembling Pop Up Video’s “info nuggets.” Rap City’s most symbolic segment, "the booth," will also continue its presence on The Deal.
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